Photo Gallery & Impressions VII

PHOTO SAMPLER - SUNDAY, 13 JULY 2003

On Sunday of the long holiday weekend (marking the beginning
of the 3- month-long Buddhist Lent), Ted showed Keith
around Ban Pong on the motorbikes, and Yupadee took Peggy and Susan to
Nakon Pathom for a school function in observance of the holiday. This took place
at Wat Pra Pathom, a wat Keith and Peg had previously visited with happy
memories This chedi is renown as the world's tallest Buddhist
monument. Later they all went to Yupadee's younger brother's home in Ban
Pong to meet her sister and husband and their son from Bangkok. Everyone
then enjoyed a sumptuous fish dinner at a favorite family restaurant.

The world's tallest Chedi
(120 m.) in nearby NakomPathom is the site of today's religious observance
attended by Peg, Yupadee and Susan.

Yupadee's students and those of several other local schools earn merit
by circling the interior chedi space 3 times and singing songs of devotion
and respect.

From a higher point, you can
see the extent of the procession of school children

These relief carvings of
various celestial beings grace the wall of a portion of the wat.

This is the exact spot Keith
and Peg took pictures on their last trip to this wat. It is an ancient
small chedi surrounded by charming indigenous plants.

Susan gets a photo of her
favorite Buddha statue.

The oval openings lead into
the center of the structure where the children walked. These 3
reclining Buddha appear relaxed.

Later that afternoon, we
visit with Yupadee's younger sister and family who were visiting from
Bangkok at another brother's luxury home in Ban Pong (shown here & next
photo).

TheYupadee's nephew Oab in the
graduation robe has just earned his masters degree in the information
technology field from Bangkok. His proud father Prakit is on the right